1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motor grader.
2. Background Information
In a well-known motor grader, a fuel tank has been mounted to a rear part of a vehicle body for the purpose of fueling (e.g., see Japan Laid-open Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-2006-27316).
A vehicle body frame of a motor grader described in Japan Laid-open Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-2006-27316 includes lateral frames disposed on the right and left of a fuel tank in the vehicle width direction, and a rear frame disposed rearward of the fuel tank. Further, the fuel tank is supported by the vehicle body frame through mount parts mounted to the lateral frames and the rear frame.
Incidentally, it has been demanded in recent years to install an exhaust processing device for processing exhaust gas in a motor grader. The exhaust processing device is connected to an engine through a connection pipe to process the exhaust gas from the engine. In some cases, a selective catalytic reduction device, configured to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) contained in the exhaust gas, is used as the exhaust processing device.
The selective catalytic reduction device is configured to process the exhaust gas using a reducing agent, such as an aqueous urea solution. Therefore, the motor grader is required to install a reducing agent tank for accumulating the reducing agent.
However, the aforementioned well-known motor grader has a drawback as described below.
Specifically, when being installed in the well-known motor grader, the reducing agent tank is demanded to be disposed at a height equivalent to that of the fuel tank to easily refill the reducing agent.
Therefore, when being disposed, the reducing agent tank is required to be located further rearward of the rear frame that supports the fuel tank on the rear side of the fuel tank. Thus, the vehicle body is inevitably increased in its length. Along with an increase in a length of the vehicle body, a drawback is produced that the steering performance and weight balance of the vehicle body are deteriorated.
In view of the drawback of the well-known motor grader, it is an object of the present invention to provide a motor grader in which vehicle body extension attributed to installation of a reducing agent tank can be suppressed.
A motor grader according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a fuel tank, a vehicle body frame, lateral support parts, a rear support part and a reducing agent tank. The fuel tank accumulates a fuel. The vehicle body frame includes a pair of first and second lateral frames disposed on both sides of the fuel tank in a vehicle width direction, and supports the fuel tank. The lateral support parts are respectively mounted to the first and second lateral frames while being disposed on the both sides of the fuel tank in the vehicle width direction, and fix the fuel tank to the vehicle body frame. The rear support part is mounted to the first lateral frame while being disposed rearward of the fuel tank, and fixes the fuel tank to the vehicle body frame. The reducing agent tank is disposed rearward of and adjacently to the fuel tank while being disposed closer to the second lateral frame with reference to a middle in the vehicle width direction, and accumulates a reducing agent for processing an exhaust gas from an engine.
Thus, the rear support part for fixing the fuel tank to the vehicle body frame is disposed on any one of the right and left lateral frames, i.e., the first lateral frame in the vehicle width direction. Accordingly, a space is produced for disposing the reducing agent tank in a position closer to the other second lateral frame with reference to the middle in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, the reducing agent tank can be disposed rearward of and adjacently to the fuel tank.
Consequently, extension of the vehicle body can be suppressed even when the reducing agent tank is installed.
In a motor grader according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the rear support part is attached to the first lateral frame while being disposed to protrude from the first lateral frame toward the second lateral frame. Further, the reducing agent tank is disposed between the rear support part and the second lateral frame in a view seen in a vehicle body back-and-forth direction, while being disposed in a position overlapped with at least a portion of the rear support part in a view seen in the vehicle width direction.
Thus, the rear support part for fixing the fuel tank to the vehicle body frame is attached to the first lateral frame. Accordingly, the reducing agent tank can be disposed rearward of the fuel tank and between the rear support part and the second lateral frame in a view seen in the vehicle body back-and-forth direction, while being disposed in the position overlapped with at least a portion of the rear support part seen in the vehicle width direction.
Therefore, even when the reducing agent tank is disposed, extension in length of the vehicle body can be suppressed at least by the overlapped length between the rear support part and the reducing agent tank in comparison with a well-known structure.
When the reducing agent tank is installed, the installation of the reducing agent tank can be achieved while an extension in a length of the vehicle body of the motor grader can be suppressed.
In a motor grader according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle body frame includes a rear frame disposed rearward of the reducing agent tank. Further, the reducing agent tank is supported by the rear frame.
Thus, the reducing agent tank is supported by the rear frame, and thereby, is not required to make contact with the fuel tank disposed on the front side of the reducing agent tank. Further, the reducing agent tank is not required to be fixed to the lateral frames to which the lateral support parts are mounted for fixing the fuel tank.
Therefore, heat is inhibited from being transferred from the fuel tank to the reducing agent tank. Accordingly, the reducing agent within the tank is maintained in a predetermined temperature range and efficiently processes nitrogen oxide.
In a motor grader according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a clearance is produced between the fuel tank and the reducing agent tank.
Thus, with the clearance produced between the fuel tank and the reducing agent tank, the heat transferred from the engine to the fuel tank can be inhibited from being further transferred to the reducing agent tank. Accordingly, the reducing agent within the tank is maintained in a predetermined temperature range and efficiently processes nitrogen oxide.
In a motor grader according to a fifth exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the reducing agent tank has a fluid supply port through which the reducing agent is supplied thereto, and the fluid supply port is disposed on the second lateral frame side.
As described above, the rear support part is disposed on the first lateral frame, whereas the fluid supply port is disposed on the second lateral frame side, i.e., the opposite side of the first lateral frame. Thus, when the fluid supply port is disposed on the opposite side of the rear support part, the reducing agent can be easily supplied, because the fluid supply port can be herein disposed closer to the lateral surface side of the vehicle body in comparison with when the fluid supply port is disposed on the same side as the rear support part.
According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a motor grader in which vehicle body extension attributed to installation of a reducing agent tank can be suppressed.